What I’m Reading (12.4.23)

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger (★★★★☆)

Audiobook • Libby • Fiction (Cli-Fi) • 2022

Short synopsis: When a Category 6 hurricane threatens the Miami area, Daphne and her children must evacuate to a FEMA mega-shelter immediately. Her husband, a surgeon who is handling transport services at the local hospital, has to stay behind. 

Perhaps reading a book about a hurricane wiping out the entire bottom-third of Florida isn’t my best idea, but I am intensely fascinated by this new sub-genre of climate fiction (or “cli-fi”). With weather events continuing to escalate due to climate change, it makes sense that novels are being written that asks the question, “What if?” What if we had a category 6 hurricane sweep through a state? From Bruce Holsinger’s perspective, it means entire cities wiped out and FEMA shelters overwhelmed. This novel follows how Daphne, her 20-year-old stepson, and her tween daughter deal with the aftermath of the storm and living in a mega-shelter (a big step down from their mansion in Coral Gables). It also follows the woman running the shelter and all of the politicking and people-ing that goes along with that. It’s a hard life for all of them and I think the author did an excellent job of helping us understand the way natural disasters can bring about our best and worst emotions. What do you do when your home is gone, when you have to start over from scratch, when you have children depending on you to have it all figured out? There was a twist near the end of this book that I didn’t think was necessary, but overall, this was a solid read, even if the premise is horrifying for this Florida girl.

Recursion by Blake Crouch (★★★☆☆)

Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Science Fiction • 2019

Short synopsis: In this new reality, people are dealing with a devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. As its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only two people (a neuroscientist named Helena and a NYC cop named Barry), working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

I struggle with Blake Crouch’s books, mostly because they make me feel really stupid. The concepts he writes about can be really hard for me to grasp, and this one was no exception. But, thankfully, he also does a great job writing characters you can root for and really propulsive plots, so I just decided to enjoy the story and not try to think too hard about how the science behind it all worked. The first 75% of the novel was a solid 4 stars for me, as I found it easy to follow along. Where the book lost me was that final 25% where it felt like the science got a little too science-y and the plot started to drag. At a certain point, I was skimming entire pages because I just wanted the book to be done. I can see why people love this book, but the science fiction genre just isn’t my cup of tea.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu (★★★★☆)

Print • Owned (Target?) • Contemporary Fiction • 2021

Short synopsis: When a photo of Grace Reed goes viral, claiming that it’s international movie star Wei Fangli, Grace’s world is turned upside down. She’s just a regular girl living a regular life—she’s not a celebrity at all. And then the real Fangli shows up to give her a proposition: She wants Grace to pretend to be Fangli for a slew of red carpet appearances and events, and she’ll pay her the big bucks to do it.

The premise of this romance is a bit far-fetched, but I was willing to go along with the plot as long as the story was a good one. And it was! I really enjoyed this story, mostly because it was fun to get an inside look at the world of a mega-celebrity who is doing all sorts of appearances and events, whether that’s a film premiere or just dinner at a fancy restaurant (where paparazzi are sure to be camped out at). I really loved Grace’s character and felt like she was such a quintessential enneagram 9—her growth throughout the novel was really beautiful. And, of course, there’s Sam Yao. He’s a dreamboat and a mega-celebrity in his own right, and he and Fangli attend most events together, which means he’ll be there every time Grace impersonates Fangli. I thought the author did a phenomenal job of building up the romance between them: first as colleagues, then as friends, and then as two people falling in love with each other. This could have definitely been a 5-star romance for me, but I thought the pacing of the book was a bit uneven and I just really wanted more from the romance. This is an entirely closed-door romance (BOO—give me the good stuff!) and I felt like I didn’t really get to enjoy Sam and Grace as a couple as much as I would have liked. This is the author’s debut novel and I think she has what it takes in the romance world, so I’m excited to read more from her!

Side note: I am pretty sure I bought a copy of this book from Target, but I’m also having a weird memory that maybe someone sent it to me? Was it you? If so, please let me know so I can thank you properly! (Maybe I have False Memory Syndrome, sigh.)

What are you reading?